KABUL (Reuters) - More than 750 people have perished as a
result of severe cold and heavy snowfalls this winter across
Afghanistan, a government official said on Saturday.

The cold spell, the worst in decades in the impoverished
and mountainous central Asian country, has also killed nearly
230,000 cattle, said Noor Padshah Kohistani of the National
Disaster Management Commission.

"Across the country, 763 people have died since the start
of the winter due to cold weather and severe snowfalls," he
told Reuters. The snowfalls have destroyed more than 500 houses
and damaged more than 40,000, a disaster commission statement
said.

The worst affected areas were the western provinces of
Herat and Badghis where some people had to have amputations
because of frostbite, according to the state media.

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Several families sold their children recently because they
were unable to care for or feed them, media reports said.

Many key roads linking districts with provincial capitals
have been blocked because of snow, hindering deliveries of
supplies.

The deaths of cattle are regarded as a huge loss for
Afghanistan, an agricultural country that largely relies on
foreign aid.

In the face of a harsh winter that has pushed food prices
to record highs, the United Nations World Food Program last
month appealed for extra food assistance for 2.55 million
Afghans until the next harvest in June.